Sunday Brunch at the Flower Street Cafe

I love Sunday brunch. It's pretty much my favorite meal. And while there are many wonderful brunch options available in Central Phoenix, they all cost money, and really, I can make almost everything they can make right here in my own kitchen. AND watch football in my own living room. For cheap.

Menu:

German Apple Pancake
Bacon
Fruit Salad
Chai Latte

German Apple Pancake
adapted from www.eatingwell.com



Let's get one thing straight: this is not a pancake. Some of you might have known that already, but I've never had a German pancake before, so I didn't know quite what to expect. Perhaps the distinctly high egg:flour ratio should have tipped me off? Regardless, what this IS, is a mighty tasty, eggy, apple-y, creamy, half-custard-half-apple-pie concoction that far surpassed my pancake expectations anyway. I found the original recipe on the Eating Well website; I've written it with my changes.

serves 2-4

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 tsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 T brown sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c spiced apple cider (note: this was all I could find at the store; the recipe calls for regular cider. I don't think it matters.)

2 eggs
2 egg whites
2 T flour
2 T whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp sugar
1/2 c skim milk
1/2 c whole milk
1/4 tsp salt
cooking spray
confectioner's sugar for dusting

1. To prepare the apple topping, melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and brown sugar and saute over medium-low heat until the apples are soft and golden, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the cider in a small saucepan to boiling. Boil until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Stir into the softened apples. Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 400. Place a 12-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven to heat.
4. Prepare the pancake batter: whisk the eggs, egg whites, sugar, and both flours in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk.
5. Using oven mitts, remove the skillet from the oven and spray with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the skillet.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 15 minutes more until golden.
7. Meanwhile, gently reheat the apple topping.
8. Remove the pancake from the oven. It will deflate quickly. Dust with confectioner's sugar and cut into 4 wedges. Serve immediately, topped with apples.

The most important meal of the day!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so they say. So important, we decided to eat it twice! Breakfast for dinner is one of my favorite meals, and this one did not disappoint.

Menu:
Whole-Grain Waffles with Mango and Almonds
Scrambled Egg Whites with Smoked Gouda and Sausage


Whole-Grain Waffles
from The Food Network

I've been meaning to try making yeast-based waffles for a while now, so when this recipe popped up with both yeast AND whole grains I knew it was fate. These were very good, but I don't know that I would go to the trouble of making them again. They definitely had yeasty undertones when eaten plain (in the interest of science, I did have an extra waffle after finishing my plate) but that flavor got lost once I topped them with fruit and maple syrup.

I loved the whole-grain aspect, though, and will happily replace my beloved Bisquick batter with a whole-wheat and oat version from now on. I will try just omitting the yeast to see if it still works as well.


I will have to make a lot of these waffles to
justify this enormous bag leftover...but it sure is pretty!

The recipe describes these as "light but also crispy on the outside from just a touch of oil and a yeasted batter with buttermilk." Mine definitely did not turn out crispy; maybe I didn't cook them long enough (5 minutes) or maybe halving the oil called for affected the crispiness, but in the end they had a creamy, almost steamed quality to them. I didn't feel this detracted from the flavor, but I had been looking forward to some crispy waffles.

Finally, the toasted almonds sprinkled on top really made this dish better than average. Next time I plan to mix the almonds into the batter so I'm not chasing every little almond crumb around my plate with my fork. (Rest assured, no almond went uneaten.)

serves 6, 2 waffles each

1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105 to 110 degrees)
2 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons peanut oil (I used canola and cut it in half)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
4 large egg whites
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Cooking spray for waffle iron
Maple syrup


1. Sprinkle the yeast over the water in a large mixing bowl; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.


The yeast will bloom, it's fun to watch.

Add the buttermilk, oil, sugar and flour and whisk until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.


Last night...


Yeasty bubbliness tonight.



2. Preheat a waffle iron. Whisk the oats, egg whites, baking soda, and salt into the waffle batter until smooth. Lightly mist the hot waffle iron with cooking spray. Add about 1/3 cup of batter to each section, using the back of a spoon to spread batter to the edges.



Cook until the waffles are crisp and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve with maple syrup.



3. My additions: I toasted 2 tsp slivered almonds over medium heat until golden brown (um, this took two tries...) and sprinkled them over the waffles after topping them with diced mango and strawberries.


Don't try to multi-task while toasting nuts. Take two: much better.



Scrambled Egg Whites with Smoked Gouda and Sausage



serves 2

8 egg whites
2 oz smoked Gouda cheese, cubed
4 oz turkey kielbasa, cubed
1/4 c skim milk
2 T sun-dried tomatoes, diced
sprinkle to taste: crushed red pepper, dried oregano, dried parsley, dried basil


Get your filling ready before turning on the heat.

1. Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray.

2. Combine egg whites through milk in the skillet and scramble, stirring occasionally, until not quite done (eggs should still be very slightly runny; they will finish setting in the heat of the pan. They will dry out and become tough if cooked all the way in the pan).

3. Remove from heat and stir in sun-dried tomatoes. Sprinkle with spices.